Haunting
by Wargh
Summary: I wrote this when I had been banned off the internet and had writer's block... "There's something dancing, here in the shadows and I wish it were us." His face is haunting her, she feels his pain. Is there anything she can do to help? Inutaisho/Kagome


Haunting

Wargh

AN: I wrote this after listening to Anberlin's 'Haunting' over and over again. It's such a romantic song, but is also so sad and just like the title, this song haunts me. I have no idea how the end of the Inuyasha anime went, so I used artistic license and made it up. Nyah! (BTW, Inuyasha chose Kikyou, not Kagome in my story. He claimed that he loved Kagome after Kikyou died, but Kagome told him no. She knew he didn't love her, and she was sad.)

_"There's something dancing _

_Here in the shadows_

_And I wish it were us_

_You haunt me baby_

_You haunt me here tonight"_

After the final battle with Naraku, Kikyou and Rin had died, and Sesshoumaru was unable to restore them to life.

Naraku didn't truly have the whole Jewel, only most of it, so Kagome and the others were seeking the last two remaining shards, the ones in Koga's legs.

Kagome shivered as she sat in her sleeping bag, peering out into the darkness. Something was out there, and had been for the past few days, ever since the final battle against Naraku. Rising to her feet, Kagome crept silently out of the camp, trying not to wake Inuyasha. Moving into the forest, Kagome caught a flash of silver out of the corner of her eye and moved instinctively towards it. Entering another clearing, Kagome saw a familiar figure with silver hair seated beneath a tree. She opened her mouth to speak Sesshoumaru's name, but paused. The man beneath the tree looked a lot like Sesshoumaru, but it wasn't him.

As she walked towards the figure, Kagome inadvertently stepped on a branch, and the sound made the figure look up at her. Kagome froze as she realized the man sitting under the tree was Inuyasha's father. His sad face had been haunting her ever since his ghost appeared during the final battle with Naraku. Crossing the clearing she knelt down beside him.

"Lord Inutaisho?" She whispered softly as she looked at the man beside her. He nodded at her, a sad expression on his face.

"Is something wrong?" She asked him, worry radiating in her tone. He looked at her and sighed.

"Heaven allowed me out to help my sons with their battle, but now it will not allow me back in. So I am trapped here, a soul without a body." Kagome's eyes widened as she finally realized he wasn't solid, but was translucent and shimmering.

"But why?" She asked and Inutaisho shrugged in reply.

"I don't know why, all I know is that I am forced to watch my sons suffer and I am unable to do anything about it!" He slammed his fist down into the ground, and glared angrily at it. Kagome reached out to touch him, but drew back at the last moment.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek at his anguished expression.

For the next few nights, after everyone had gone to sleep, Kagome successfully snuck out of camp to sit and talk with Inutaisho.

On the fourth night, Inuyasha woke up to find Kagome missing and followed her scent to where she sat alone conversing with herself.

"Oi Kagome, what in the hell are you doing out here?' He yelled at her as he walked through the trees. Kagome jumped and turned her head to look at him.

"Inuyasha, you scared me! What are you doing sneaking up on me?" She replied, angry that he had interrupted her conversation.

"You weren't there when I woke up, and now you're sitting out here all alone, it's not my fault you weren't paying attention." He yelled back at her, annoyed by her carelessness.

"But I'm... Inuyasha, you can't see him?" She asked, a little bit confused.

"What are you talking about Kagome, you're the only one here." Inuyasha said as he walked over to her. Kagome saw a pained look cross Inutaisho's face at Inuyasha's words.

"Come on Kagome." Inuyasha said as he pulled her to her feet. Kagome turned her face towards Inutaisho as Inuyasha pulled her from the clearing.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek as she watched his haunted face.

The next day Kagome and the others met up with Koga, who reluctantly handed over his jewel shards to Kagome.

Inuyasha wanted to know what she was going to wish for, and a vision of Inutaisho's haunted face flashed before Kagome's eyes.

That night Kagome didn't to go meet Inutaisho, instead she wandered through the trees, crying. That's how Inutaisho found her, tears streaming silently down her cheeks and a haunted look on her face.

"What's wrong Kagome?" He asked her softly. Kagome turned to look at him, tears glistening in the moonlight.

"Koga gave us the last two shards of the Jewel today, it's finally finished." She replied, her voice hoarse from crying. Inutaisho smiled sadly at her.

"Then you realize the true curse of the Jewel?" He asked her and Kagome nodded.

"There is no such thing as an unselfish wish, it is the nature of wishes to be selfish. Still, I wish that..."

"Don't!" Inutaisho called out stepping towards her. "Don't say the words 'I wish' around the completed Jewel. It will grant any wish, even if it was not your intent for it to do so."

"But when the Jewel was still inside me, I used to wish for a lot of things and they never came true." She replied, confused.

"The jewel was sealed inside your body then, so no matter how much you wished on it, nothing would happen." Inutaisho answered.

"So if the Jewel was sealed inside my body again, no one could wish on it?" She asked him hopefully. Inutaisho shook his head.

"You cannot seal the Jewel inside your own body." He answered softly, shaking his head.

"Then how am I supposed to protect it? Everyone will be after the Jewel and I'm not strong enough to protect it!" She cried out, he tears coming faster now. Inutaisho reached out his hand and tried to touch her, but his hand passed right through her shoulder. Inutaisho stared down at the ground for a moment, then walked up behind her.

"Kagome, look." He whispered to her. As Kagome looked down at the ground, Inutaisho wrapped his ghostly arms around her, not touching her body. There on the ground, Kagome saw his shadow holding tightly to hers. Twisting in his embrace, she looked up at his face.

"Burdens become lighter when they are shared." He whispered softly to her.

Kagome did not go back to camp that night, instead she just stood there, enfolded in Inutaisho's ghostly arms.

When Inuyasha and the others found her the next morning, she was sleeping, her back against a tree and a smile on her face.

Kagome woke up the next morning when Inuyasha shook her shoulder. Blinking, she opened her eyes and looked around for Inutaisho, smiling when she saw him and then noticing her friends. Inuyasha opened his mouth to yell at her, but paused and sniffed the air.

"Sesshoumaru." He growled out, placing his hand on Tessaiga as Sesshoumaru stepped into the clearing next to Kagome. Sesshoumaru reached up to grab Tokijin, but froze as his hand brushed against Tenseiga. Kagome looked in the direction he was staring, and smiled.

"Sesshoumaru, you can see him?" She asked softly. Sesshoumaru nodded curtly and continued staring at his father's ghost.

"Sesshoumaru, I need you to do something for me. I need the black pearl from Inuyasha's eye please." She whispered softly enough that Inuyasha couldn't hear her. Sesshoumaru turned to glare at her.

"Why do you..." He trailed off as he realized what she was asking for, then he nodded and moved towards Inuyasha. Lightning fast, he drove his fingers into Inuyasha's right eye, withdrawing the black pearl and handing it to Kagome.

"Sit!" Kagome cried out as Inuyasha yelled angrily and dove towards Sesshoumaru.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha, but you'll understand later." She said as she rose to her feet, walked over to Inutaisho, and dropped the black pearl into his hand. As the portal opened, she quickly stepped inside, Inutaisho following after her. As Kagome approached Inutaisho's bones, the glow from the Jewel grew brighter and brighter until Kagome was forced to tuck it under her shirt to shield her eyes. Once she reached the skeleton, she began slowly ascending up the arm until she reached the head. Kagome stood there for a moment, contemplating her next move, then reached out until she caught her hand in a hole and began climbing up the skull.

When she reached the forehead, she pulled the Jewel out from under her shirt, wincing at it's brightness and placed it against the bones. Pushing hard, Kagome forced the Jewel into the skull until it was completely absorbed. A bright flash lit the area and suddenly the bones began to crumble. Kagome screamed as she fell, but something caught her before she hit the ground. Kagome looked up and saw Inutaisho's smiling face above her. When he landed, he set Kagome down and wrapped his arms around her.

"Kagome." He called her name softly. Kagome spun in his arms and smiled happily at him.

"Thank you." He whispered softly as he lowered his face to hers. Standing on tiptoe, Kagome raised her face to meet his and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips met, and passion flowed between them. When they broke for air, Inutaisho smiled down at her.

"I love you." He whispered softly into her ear. Kagome smiled back at him and replied

"Me too."

_"Your spirit I can't see_

_But I still believe_

_I can feel your breath on me_

_You haunt me baby_

_You haunt me here tonight"_

AN #2: Yeah yeah, it went pretty fast, but hey its a one-shot. It's not like you can drag it out. No Inutaisho didn't plan to have Kagome bring him back. Kagome thought of that while they were talking that night and she didn't tell him. When he told her burdens were lighter when shared, he wanted her to tell Inuyasha and ask him to help her protect it. Review if you liked it. Please?


End file.
